Emojis have become a popular way to add fun or meaning to photos posted online. However, sometimes emojis can be used to cover up part of an image that someone wants to keep private. If you come across a photo with an emoji you’d like to remove, there are a few methods you can try to reveal what’s behind it.
Why Would You Want to Remove Emojis from a Photo?
There are a few main reasons you may want to remove an emoji from a photo:
- Curiosity – You may see a friend or celebrity has posted a photo with an emoji covering a section and you’re curious what they’re hiding.
- Missing context – An emoji may be covering a visual that provides more context to the photo. Removing it gives you a fuller picture.
- Inappropriate content – An emoji could be used to cover nudity, offensive gestures, or other inappropriate content in a public photo.
While emojis can be fun, they also allow people to censor images while still sharing them online. Removing the emoji can reveal the hidden context, whether that’s for better or worse.
Try Removing with Photo Editing Software
One of the easiest ways to remove an emoji from a photo is using photo editing software on your computer or smartphone. Here are some options:
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is the most popular advanced image editing software available. It’s available via paid subscription on desktop or through their Photoshop Express app.
To remove an emoji in Photoshop:
- Open the photo and zoom in on the emoji.
- Use the Clone Stamp tool to copy pixels from around the emoji and paste over the emoji itself. Carefully clone surrounding areas to blend it in.
- Use the Spot Healing brush to clean up any rough edges around the emoji.
- Flatten the image when done to save the changes.
With some practice, you can seamlessly remove emojis from photos in Photoshop.
Pixelmator
Pixelmator is a full-featured image editing app for Mac and iOS. It has many of the same emoji removal tools as Photoshop.
To use Pixelmator to erase emojis:
- Open the photo and zoom in on the emoji.
- Choose the Repair tool to paint over the emoji with surrounding pixels.
- Use the Retouch tool to blend repaired areas and erase rough patches.
- Flatten and save the image when the emoji is invisible.
The Repair and Retouch tools in Pixelmator work similarly to Photoshop’s Clone Stamp and Healing tools for seamless emoji removal.
Snapseed
Snapseed is a free photo editor from Google available on iOS and Android. It has an Heal tool ideal for removing small objects like emojis.
To erase emojis in Snapseed:
- Open the photo and double tap the emoji to zoom in.
- Tap the Heal icon and paint over the emoji with your finger.
- Pinch to zoom out and ensure it’s blended into the photo.
- Tap Export to save a copy of the edited photo.
Snapseed’s Heal is quick and easy for getting rid of small objects. For bigger or more complex emojis, a tool like Photoshop is recommended.
Erase Background Apps
Apps like Remove Background and Background Eraser make it easy to eliminate flat color backgrounds. This makes them great for removing emojis.
To erase emojis with a background eraser app:
- Export the photo from your phone and open it in the eraser app.
- Trace your finger closely around the emoji to “erase” it.
- Save a copy of the photo without the emoji.
Look for an app with smart edge detection to easily separate the flat emoji from the photo for clean removal.
Try Using Automated Filters
Some websites provide automated filters you can run photos through to remove emojis. This doesn’t give you fine control like photo editing apps, but it can work in a pinch.
Emoji-Remove.com
Emoji Remove is a free online tool that will automatically strip out emojis from your photos.
To use Emoji Remove:
- Go to Emoji-Remove.com in your browser.
- Upload or paste the image containing the emoji.
- Click Remove Emoji and wait for it to process.
- Preview the edited photo then download if the emoji is erased.
This method won’t work perfectly on complex backgrounds, but takes just a few seconds for basic emoji removal.
Inpaint Online
Inpaint is an online tool that can digitally inpaint over any object in a photo. This makes it great for removing emojis too.
To try Inpaint for emoji removal:
- Go to Inpaint.com in your browser.
- Upload your photo and select the Marker tool.
- Trace around the emoji you want to erase.
- Click Inpaint Selection to fill the marked area with surrounding pixels.
- Download the resulting image once it’s processed.
Inpaint works better than Emoji Remove for photos with complex backgrounds. Just take your time marking the exact area of the emoji to inpaint.
Attempt Manual Removal in a Graphics Editor
For fine control over the removal process, a manual approach in a graphics editor like GIMP or Paint.net works. This takes time and practice, but gives the best results.
The GIMP
GIMP is a free open-source image editing tool similar to Photoshop. It includes a Clone tool for copying and pasting pixels.
To remove emojis in GIMP:
- Open the image and zoom in on the emoji.
- Select the Clone tool and Alt+click an area near the emoji to set the copy source.
- Paint over the emoji to blend surrounding pixels into it.
- Use the Blur tool to smooth any rough patches around the edges.
- Crop if needed and export the edited photo.
GIMP’s Clone tool, like Photoshop’s, is great for meticulously covering up unwanted image areas.
Paint.net
Paint.net is a popular free image editor for Windows with a Touch Up tool that can remove blemishes.
To erase emojis in Paint.net:
- Open the photo and zoom in on the emoji.
- Select the Touch Up tool set to Heal mode.
- Paint over the emoji with surrounding pixel colors to blend it in.
- Use the Blur tool to feather the edges around the change.
- Save a copy to keep your edits.
With care and practice, Paint.net’s Touch Up tool can make emojis vanish seamlessly.
Try Deep Learning Powered Tools
Recent advancements in deep learning and neural networks are powering a new generation of smart content-aware fill tools for image editing. These use AI to realistically fill edited areas.
Adobe Photoshop’s Content-Aware Fill
Photoshop’s Content-Aware Fill uses AI to fill selected areas with realistic image content. This makes it great for hiding emojis.
To use it:
- Open the image and select the emoji area.
- Right click and choose Content-Aware Fill.
- Adjust the fill if needed, then Flatten to apply it.
- Save a copy of the photo without the emoji.
Content-Aware Fill can realistically extend backgrounds behind emojis with one click in the newest Photoshop versions.
Inpaint Online’s DeepFill
The online tool Inpaint recently added a DeepFill feature powered by AI to fill image areas. It works well for emojis.
To DeepFill emojis away:
- Open Inpaint.com and upload the photo.
- Select the emoji with the Marker tool.
- Click DeepFill Selection.
- Wait for it process, then download the resulting image.
DeepFill can often seamlessly reconstruct complex backgrounds behind emojis better than other tools.
Lumina’s Magic Eraser
The Lumina photo editing app on iOS and Android has a smart Magic Eraser powered by AI. It automatically identifies objects to remove with one tap.
To Magic Erase emojis:
- Open the photo in Lumina.
- Tap the Magic Wand icon.
- Tap on the emoji and Lumina will highlight and erase it.
- Adjust if needed, then save a copy.
For quick automated emoji removal, Lumina’s Magic Eraser delivers with just a couple taps.
Conclusion
Removing distracting emojis covering up parts of a photo is possible using common photo editing tools and apps. The best approach depends on the complexity of the image and how intricately you need to erase the emoji.
For control over the finest details, a graphics editor like Photoshop, GIMP, or Paint.net works great. Their cloning and inpainting tools blend surrounding pixels for seamless emoji removal.
Convenient mobile apps like Snapseed and Pixelmator provide similar precision editing capabilities right on your phone. And automated filters on sites like Emoji Remove can instantly strip emojis with no effort.
Finally, deep learning powered features like Photoshop’s Content-Aware Fill and Inpaint’s DeepFill offer the best automatic removal results, using AI to realistically extend the image behind where the emoji was.
With the right software tool and steady editing hand, revealing the hidden secrets beneath those emojis is a fun challenge for the digital investigator in everyone.